Books I Recommend

A problem I run into when people ask others for book recommendations is, there is never a question of what books does the person asking like. If you ask them, it saves you the time from trying to find something they might not be interested in reading or hating.

For Mystery / Thriller FansA Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch. I always recommend this to mystery fans especially those who are fans of a traditional detective novel. It does suffer from debut hiccups, but it introduces to gentleman detective Charles Lenox.

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. If you’re looking for a serial killer series, this is your book, but instead of a traditional male killer Cain writes a twist: a beautiful female killer.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Looking for a mind fuck? This is your book.

For Contemporary Romance ReadersSlammed by Colleen Hoover. I remember reading this one by accident because the book I really wanted to read wouldn’t load properly on my e-reader. Needless to say I’ve not looked back and read it in one sitting. Loved it!

Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard. I read this book last year and didn’t find it out had been Twilight fan fiction until 4 months later. I was disappointed, but you know I still enjoy it and recommend it. Everyone should meet the Professor!

Historical RomancePrivate Arrangements by Sherry Thomas. This was Sherry’s debut novel and this pretty much proves why she’s an awesome writer. I became a fan right away.

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt. Like Sherry, this was Elizabeth’s debut novel. It’s one of my favorites and Edward is a grumpy hero, but for good reason!

A Woman Scorned by Liz Carlyle. This is Liz’s second book, but one of her best. I think classic Liz (those published prior to Three Little Secrets) are her best overall.

For ChildrenIsland of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. I ADORED this book as a child and if invited to a child’s birthday party, etc this is the gift I give.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. Haha, I use to drive my parents crazy with constantly reading this. It’s still a favorite of mine as an adult.

Honorable Mentions:Tangled Web by Mary Balogh. This one is my favorite of hers! It’s just full of heartbreak.

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. If you only read ONE historical romance novel, this is it.

Deadly Love by Brenda Joyce. The first book in her Francesca Cahill series, it introduces us to Francesca, crime-solver extraordinaire. It has everything-mystery and romance.

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. If you only read ONE mystery novel, this is it. It’s one of my favorites and of course the film version with Bogart isn’t bad.

Jessica

All these books are quite new to me! I bought Gone Girl for a friend of mine, but I haven’t read it. I’ve heard really good things about it. Thanks for sharing :). And thank you for stopping by my TTT.

Great list! It’s been probably a two decades since I read Island of the Blue Dolphins, but I remember loving it! And I really need to read Gone Girl. Great list! 😀
My TTTs are at Musings on Fantasia and LKHill.

Jessica

I’m on the fence with the third book only because SR had said he wasn’t going to write it and this was back in May of last year. When I heard he was writing a third, I was a bit upset because I feel he sort of bowed to pressure, which I hope isn’t the case.

Slammed sounds really good.. I definitely want to read that! I’ve never heard of Island of the Blue Dolphins, but it looks fab. Gonna have to get it to read to my son… I love finding new books to read with him 🙂

Jessica

If you do read it with him let me know your thoughts! I don’t own a copy, but will have to buy one soon. Ooooh yes to Slammed! I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how well written it was.

I love how you organized your list. I usually recommend books that I didn’t love if I know that another person has different tastes than I do. It’s tough to recommend my absolute favorites to just anyone. I need to know their preferences and what they look for in books.
Great list!
Here’s my Top Ten Tuesdays Post
Megan @ Love, Literature, Art, and Reason

Jessica

To be truthful, I don’t recommend books I LOVE very much because I feel like they belong to me. If someone hates them, I take it personal. One of my cousins HATES romance, picked up Gabriel’s Inferno and now won’t stop talking about it. I want to stomp my feet and say “he’s mine!” LOL!

Jessica

Yikes, I haven’t read any of these, although I REALLY want to read Slammed. I’ve heard such good things about it. And you should absolutely try Sarah Dessen. There are people who don’t like her. I don’t understand those people. Thanks for visiting my TTT.

Jessica

Gone Girl is one of those that people either love it or hate it, but it’s mostly because the twist. I LOVE it and Flynn is spot on with a few things she points out that people do when they’re dating, etc.